A self-styled gangster who 'created a climate of fear' for people living in Beeston has been jailed for 21 years.

Wakkas Butt was the ringleader of a gang involved in a long-running feud that led to Leeds’ first ‘gangbo’ injunctions, which place strict limitations on where criminals go and who they associate with.

He was one of seven men that was hit with gang injunctions, after more than 85 criminal offences such as robberies, arson attacks and kidnappings, were committed within one square mile of Beeston, between March 2014 and June 2016.

The 26-year-old also drove an Audi RS3, with the number plate LS11 BOS, which is believed to refer to his self-appointed status in the postcode area where he lived.

However, his reign of terror came to an end when he was convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, in relation to a shooting in Maud Place, Beeston, on October 28 in 2017.

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Crime in Leeds

That is when when a black Volkswagen Passat pulled up and someone inside fired a sawn-off shotgun at a 22-year-old man who was sat inside a parked BMW.

The bonnet and windscreen of the BMW was damaged, but the intended target repeatedly rammed the Passat and sped off from the scene without sustaining any injuries.

The shotgun damage to the BMW

Shezan Shabir - a 26-year-old from Old Mill View in Dewsbury- and Irshad Badar - a 24-year-old from Rowliff Road in High Wycombe - were also convicted of the same offence, following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police’s Firearms Prevent Team.

Police also found that Butt, Shabir, Adil Qayyum - a 25-year-old from Batley - and Adeel Malik - a 22-year-old from Lynndale Avenue in Huddersfield - had set fire to an Audi RS3 and Volkswagen Golf R in Sheffield in October 2017.

The Audi belonged to the father of the man who was targeted in the shooting in Maud Place.

All four me were convicted of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Butt was arrested the day after the arson attack, when he driving his red Audi RS3 in Bradford. Shabir, Qayyum and Malik were also arrested from the car.

Police say the group tried to cover their tracks, but police conducted 'painstaking research' of their mobile phone locations and vehicle movements, and poured over hours of CCTV footage to ensure the men were punished for their crimes.

Butt and Shabir were both sentenced to 21 years in prison, with five years extended licence, at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, November 2.

Badar and Malik were jailed for eight years and Qayyum was jailed for six.

'He is a criminal who for too long has been a thorn in the side of the Beeston community'

Detective chief inspector Jaz Khan said: “Wakkas Butt is someone who has been repeatedly linked to criminal activity that has created a climate of fear for ordinary law-abiding members of the public in the Beeston area and further afield.

“He styled himself as a gangster and drove around in a high-performance car bearing a registration that suggests he thought he was the boss of the LS11 area.

“With the support of his accomplices in these offences, he showed himself to be someone who was prepared to resort to the use of a firearm and arson to intimidate and attempt to harm those he considered rivals, with absolutely no consideration for the risks to innocent members of the public.

“He is a criminal who for too long has been a thorn in the side of the Beeston community and I am sure people there will be breathing a collective sigh of relief to know that he has now been sent to prison for a significant period of time.

The offences committed in Beeston that were linked to the feud

All offences were committed between March 2014 and June 2016, within one square mile of Beeston

10 violent offences of robbery, assault and kidnapping

30 public order offences of threats, intimidation and extortion

24 arson attacks on cars and properties, which caused more than £200,000 worth of damage

“People who think they are above the law, particularly those who think they can use firearms to enforce their criminal activity, should be in no doubt that we have a team of specialist detectives, supported by highly-trained firearms officers, whose main purpose is to pursue them and them and bring them to justice.

“The criminal use of firearms on our streets is something we will always treat very seriously and we will continue to do everything we can to identify those responsible and take appropriate action to prevent such incidents and keep people safe.

“Information from the community plays a vital role in our ongoing efforts to tackle organised criminality and the use of firearms that can damage and cause fear our communities, and we urge people to keep telling us what they know either directly or anonymously through Crimestoppers.”

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